Clients with unplated, silver flutes that tarnish quickly often have pads that chronically stick. I make similar recommendations to alleviate and resolve these problems. About 10 to 15% of the flutists I see tarnish their flutes at a significantly faster rate than my other clients. Silver tarnish is a chemical reaction between silver and sulfur. Because sulfur is in the atmosphere your flute will tarnish even without coming in direct contact with your body. But for a subgroup of flutists, their playing and handling of the instrument directly contributes to faster tarnishing. The causes of or contributing factors to excessive tarnish may include:
- body chemistry
- lotions, shampoo, medication
- diet
- moist hands
- eating before playing
To mitigate possible causes I suggest:
- washing your hands before playing
- rinsing your mouth and/or brushing your teeth before playing
- if possible, evaluate what you are putting on and into your body and if changes affect how quickly your instrument tarnishes
The instrument maintenance regimen I suggest includes:
- holding your instrument by the barrel and the end of the footjoint: this limits contact between your hands and keywork.
- ALWAYS thoroughly wipe down your flute both inside and outside after playing. If there is excessive moisture while playing, then wipe down your flute periodically throughout the day.
- Use Goddard’s silver polishing cloths to remove tarnish on the surface of your instrument. This is a treated, blue cloth that is safe to use on your instrument. Tarnish begins as a milky film and eventually turns brown then black. It is easiest to remove while it is a milky film. Use care when polishing and do not abrade your pads. Only polish areas of the flute that are easily reached.
- If there is also a lot of tarnishing inside your flute, I strongly recommend getting the tube and tone holes polished regularly. Water tends to collect on highly tarnished surfaces and water will degrade pad skins.
Contributing causes to excessive, chronically sticky pads may include:
- your body chemistry
- diet, particularly sweeteners and sugar
- using toothpaste or mouthwash with sweeteners
- eating before playing
- smoking
To mitigate possible causes I suggest:
- rinse your mouth and/or brush your teeth before playing. And when brushing your teeth, do not use a toothpaste with sweeteners.
- cut back on sugars and sweeteners in your diet.
- don’t smoke
The pad maintenance regimen I suggest includes:
- blot your pads regularly to remove moisture. This is particularly true for the closed keys. Get to know your instrument and how much moisture the pads collect. This will help you determine how regularly you should blot your pads. Some people blot daily; others will blot every hour. When blotting your pads to remove moisture, use either cigarette papers, face blotters, or my personal favorite large end wraps used on hair curlers. Always blot, never drag papers on your pad. And make sure that the papers do no rip and stay behind on your pad: this can cause the pad to leak.
- clean your pads. I suggest using Pad Juice. Pad Juice is sold through JL Smith. JL Smith also has a video on how to use Pad Juise to clean your pads.
- I don’t recommend use of power papers. I understand using them before a recording session to remove excessive sound that may be picked up by a microphone. But power papers distribute a fine substance that absorbs moisture and clings to your pad skin and tone holes. It isn’t a great long-term solution. Excessive build-up of powder can contribute to accelerated pad skin breakdown. And when pad skins break, you need to spend money and replace your pads.
- If your pads are sticky and/or moisture laden to the point where they come up sluggishly, also consider having your springs retensioned. A more strongly tensioned spring will require more finger pressure for closure, but it will also result in greater opening power. Retension springs judiciously: you do not want to put yourself in a situation where you have to work excessively to play the flute.